\nFirst, a little history
\nGoogle Wallet has a pretty long history. Back in 2011, the company revealed its first Google Wallet application, and it was pretty ambitious for the time. As the name suggested, it was a wallet that was powered by Google.
\nIt allowed you to add different cards to your Google account that you could use to make purchases. You added cards like a limited list of credit\/debit cards, certain gift cards, and a prepaid Google card. These purchases could be done online, but you could also use your phone to make purchases at physical points of sale.
\nWhile this was innovative at the time, it didn\u2019t get the kind of traction that the company was hoping for. Then, in late 2015, Google launched another platform alongside Google Wallet; Android Pay.
\nThis platform did pretty much the same thing. It allowed the user to store several cards on the app and make contactless payments. Android Pay took on that functionality while Google Wallet devolved into being just an app for peer-to-peer payments. However, Google wasn\u2019t done yet. In 2018, the company then combined Google Wallet and Android pay into one platform called Google Pay.
\nThis was an attempt to create a more integrated payment platform. As you can imagine, this platform allowed people to make contactless payments at physical stores. Google Pay also encompassed Google\u2019s online payment platform. So, if you paid for anything using Google online, you\u2019d be using Google Pay.
\nIn early 2022, Google again renamed its payment platform. This time, it recycled the Google Wallet name, and that leads us to today.
\nWhat is Google Wallet?
\nSo, that leads us to the million-dollar question: What is Google Wallet? Google has the ambition to make the physical wallet obsolete. The company wants your wallet to live on your phone. You\u2019re already able to put a myriad of credit and debit cards on your Google account and use them in the app. It\u2019s also compatible with a PayPal card.
\nHowever, your wallet doesn\u2019t only hold your credit and debit cards. If you get a gift card from someone, you\u2019re likely to place it in your wallet as well. Well, you\u2019re also able to add gift cards from all types of stores to your Google Wallet. Some examples are Walmart, Starbucks, Best Buy, Panera Bread, Subway, McDonald\u2019s, Chipotle, Game Stop, and so on. The list could encompass hundreds of stores.
\nNext, the Wallet lets you add loyalty cards from well-known vendors. These cards allow you to wrack up points for shopping at different locations for added benefits like savings.
\nOther types of cards
\nNow, adding gift cards and loyalty cards is convenient enough, but Google\u2019s grand plan doesn\u2019t stop there. The company is adding legitimate forms of identification to the Wallet.
\nLet\u2019s start off with transportation. Google Wallet allows you to add your transit cards. These include cards like prepaid bus passes. What\u2019s neat is that your remaining balance on these cards can be displayed directly in Google Maps.
\nThat\u2019s not all, however, as Google allows you to add plane tickets to your Wallet. You\u2019re able to buy the ticket from the official ticket site or from a third-party broker. From that point, you\u2019ll be able to add that ticket to your account. To use it, you\u2019ll just need to hold your phone to the reader. It will be read just like you\u2019re tapping to make a payment.
\nAt the moment, a select number of BMW car models allow you to add digital car keys to your Wallet. You\u2019ll just need to hold your phone to your door, and it will unlock. Google says that more car models are coming down the road.
\nLegitimate identification
\nAs stated before, Google wants Wallet to be a full replacement for your leather pocket liner. This includes adding valid forms of identification to your phone. This is still in the early stages, so the availability is still pretty sparse for the moment.
\nIf you\u2019ve received your Covid-19 vaccination, then you\u2019re able to put your vaccination card on your phone. At the moment, this is only available in certain countries. These are the US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Jersey, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain (Murcia region only), and the UK.
\nWe were all a bit surprised when Google announced that you\u2019ll be able to add your ID\/driver\u2019s license to Google Wallet. However, it\u2019s slowly becoming a reality- and \u201cslowly\u201d is the operative word. As of January 2023, Google is doing a limited beta test for this feature in Maryland. As you can imagine, Google will need to work with several governments to load millions of people\u2019s identification onto its servers.
\nThe Google Wallet app
\nNow, if you\u2019re interested in moving to the Google Wallet, here\u2019s how to use the app. You can download the app from the Google Play Store right here.
\nWhen you get the app, you\u2019ll be able to sign into your Google Account. You\u2019ll want to use the one that you have the most and easiest access to. If you\u2019ve already added cards to your Google account, then you\u2019ll see them pop up in the app.
\nThe Google Wallet app is one of the most simplistic apps out there, as it\u2019s meant just to be a wallet, not an app. So, you\u2019re not going to see the most engaging UI full of sub-menus and animations. You\u2019ll just see a simple screen with all of the cards you added.
\nThe cards sit in a carousel at the top of the screen. You\u2019ll be able to swipe through them to the one that you need. Also, the moment you open the app, the NFC will automatically activate, so you\u2019ll only need to hold it to the reader. If you unlock the phone and tap without opening the app, it will automatically use your default card. Just make sure you know which card you have as the default.
\nIf you want to add a new card, you\u2019ll just need to tap on the\u00a0Add to Wallet button at the bottom. From that point, you\u2019ll be able to choose what kind of card you want to add. When you do, you\u2019ll just need to add the information or scan your card.
\nSo, that\u2019s the essence of Google Wallet. Google wants to port your entire wallet onto your phone. Starting from those early days in 2011, the company has been heading in that direction, and it\u2019s made a lot of progress.
\nThe post What is Google Wallet? appeared first on Android Headlines.
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\nSource: ndroidheadlines.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"